One of your life goals may be to run a marathon. However, you are not limited to New York or Boston. Bob Cooper, of Runner's World, wrote in an article "Frest Start" posted on MSN's Health and Fitness section (January 6, 2008) about recommended marathon races. Those races are summarized in the below table. Other resources to help you meet your goal are also provided below.

Race	Location	Date	Running since	Description	Entertainment	Runner Amenities	Avg temp	Racers	Registration
P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon	Phoenix/ Scottsdale/ Tempe, Arizona	Jan 13	2004	Flat, urban; Pancake flat streets with only 150 feet separating the highest and lowest points	Live music with 26 bands, one every mile, performing along the course; headlining artist in concert race evening; 26 cheerleading squads; 100 vendor pre-race expo	Shirt, medal, $10 gift card for P.F. Chang's	50s	7000 marathoners
ING Miami Marathon	Miami, Florida	Jan 27 6:15 am start	2003	Flat, urban; Bridges are the only hills, but never climb more than 30 feet	Cheerleaders, dance troupes, bands, and drumlines perform at 25 stations; mimes and laser-light shows where there are noise ordinances	Runners updated with pre-race e-mails; first names printed on race bibs; Great food: lavish fuel stations: 24 liquid and 3 gel stations Shirt, hat, beach ball, sunglasses	60s	4500 marathoners
Nature's Path Whidbey Island Marathon	Whidbey Island, Washington	April 13	2002	Hills, consistent hills, except for the 350-footer at mile 7; rural	Sparse spectators	Great food: carbo-load at an all-organic pre-race pasta dinner and post-race breakfast of cold cereal and warm oatmeal with fruit and bagels	45-55	360 finishers
Charlottesville Marathon	Charlottesville, Virginia	April 19	2003	Scenic but hilly, rural Challenging rolling course, with 3 hills, each about a quarter-mile long at miles 6, 10, 15	Bands and spectators at the downtown start / finish and on the University of Virginia campus, but the route is mostly on country roads	Great food, lavish fuel stations: 14 aid stations with gells at 5 spots and apple slices and gummi bears at the others; post-race cookies and pizza		365 finishers
Eugene Marathon	Eugene, Oregon	May 4	2007	Mostly flat terraine with just a quarter-mile climb in the seventh mile; rural; through 12 parks	Entertainment at 35 spots, including a bagpiper at mile 8.5 and a harpist at mile 16.5 Spectator friendly	Great food: post-race Subway sub sandwiches and cookies		1500 runners
Grand Island Trail Marathon	Grand Island, Michigan	July 26	2005	Constant hills (challenging at miles 4, 8, 16, 18, and 20), trail, rural; Expect to add at least 30 minutes to your typical time		Great food: pre-race pasta dinner at a family restaraunt Shirt; age-group winners receive hand-blown, colored glass medallion Only 4 fluid stations - carrying a water bottle is mandatory		300 finishers
Road Runner Akron Marathon	Akron, Ohio	Sept 27	2002	Rolling hills, not too difficult but an uphill stretch from miles 17-19; urban	Entertainment: 63 spots, with 13 bands and 10 neighborhood block parties Spectator friendly: estimated 100,000 with ease for support crew (4 spots within a 5-block radius of each other)	Lavish fuel stations: 18 fluid stops with water and sports drink and 6 with gel packets; portable bathrooms at 18 spots; large clocks at every mile; pace teams; post-race medal engraving station; free $90 Brooks running shoes, long-sleeve shirt, mesh running hat, medal, massage 128 inspiration signs along the route, personalized bibs with runner name, name announced and image projected on scoreboard at finish		1,160 finishers
Hamptons Marathon	East Hampton, New York	Sept 27	2007	Flat: miles 8-16 are perfectly flat, the rest is rolling; rural	Spectator friendly; organizers give cowbells to residents who live along the route	Great food: 25 aid stations on route with 1 gel stop and 1 Fig Newton stop; Italian ices as a post-race treat		175 in inaugural race, but open to 1,500 racers in 2008
Denver Marathon	Denver, Colorado	Oct 19	2006	Flat, only 204 feet separate the lowest and highest points on the route; Denver is at mile-high altitude; urban a course design lets runners cheer each other on from across the street along 6 stretches	Entertainment; spectator friendly: 3 cheering areas with music, noisemakers, snacks and face painting; Four locations where easy for your friends and family to see you	Great good: Post-race Coors beer garden, Whole Foods fruit, and hot dogs
Nike Women's Marathon	San Francisco, California	Oct 19	2002	Avoids steep, cable car hills, but 3 hefty climbs at miles 6, 8, and 11; urban	Entertainment: 39 stations with live music, DJs, and cheering quads; 2 bands at finish Spectators may take free shuttle buses to 2 of the 4 cheer stations, where comedians perform	Great food, lavish fuel stations: 14 fluid stations and 7 food stations with energy bars, bananas, granola, or chocolate; post-race granola with yogurt and bananas and smoothies; 'Coat check' to drop warmups at mile 2.5; pedi-care stations for blister treatment or change of socks; Ghirardelli chocolate stop; Shirt and goody bag with Tiffany's version of a finisher's medal; Nike Expotique offers massages, manicures, and yoga classes		8000 95% of runners are women	March or April, but expect sell-out within 3 days

Resources: Additional articles

Beginner's hints, tips, and resources by Runner's World

Develop your running strategy: How to apply time-tested running rules to your own training by Dagny Scott-Barrios, Runner's World, November 7, 2007

Go the Distance, a How-To Guide for Marathon Training wiki

Race training articles by Runner's World

Races and Places site by Runner's World

Running Guide on MSN Health and Fitness